


The Eccentric Duchess and Sophia

by Sweet_Buttercream



Series: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads lead to Yuri [2]
Category: my next life as a villainess, 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… - 山口悟 | My Next Life as a Villainess - Yamaguchi Satoru (Light Novels), 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… | My Next Life as a Villainess (Anime)
Genre: F/F, I'm so tired I barely proofread this, The Emerald Princess and Sophia, When you are The Big Gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Buttercream/pseuds/Sweet_Buttercream
Summary: Sophia invites Katarina over for tea and a book discussion.
Relationships: Katarina Claes/Acchan, Sophia Ascart/Katarina Claes
Series: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads lead to Yuri [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767190
Comments: 8
Kudos: 146





	The Eccentric Duchess and Sophia

Katarina knocked gently on a plain wooden door inside the student dormitories. The door swung open to reveal the beautiful, white-haired, ruby-eyed girl who resided within the room. 

“Ah! Katarina-sama, please come in!” 

Sophia had invited Katarina over for some tea. She welcomed her into her room with a bright and excited look on her usually gentle and quiet face. Katarina made a beeline for the tea cakes that had been laid out for the occasion. All manner of sweet and tasty snacks had been arranged neatly on trays and plates, ranging from crunchy macarons to fluffy cream puffs; from soft, spongy cakes to buttery, flakey croissants; and from light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth meringues to thick, chewy, stick-to-your-face caramels. All this barely registered to Katarina as she began to munch on the snacks with a look of utter bliss on her face. 

“I asked my maid to acquire your favorites for our tea-time today, I’m so glad you like them, Katarina-sama.” Sophia smiled gently at her. 

Now that her friend had mentioned it, Katarina noticed that there was no wait staff standing in attendance, no maids or butlers waiting on the sidelines. Katarina opened her mouth to ask, but noticed that she still had a large bite of food in her mouth, one that she had just taken from the chocolatey and creamy éclair she was holding. She closed her mouth and quickly swallowed the bite before speaking. 

“Sophia, where is your maid? Is it just the two of us alone for today?” 

Sophia’s cheeks flushed at her friend’s question. 

“I asked her to stay outside the room, I wanted to have a quiet and uninterrupted time with you today while we talked.” Sophia blushed a little deeper as she responded. 

She truly was beautiful, with porcelain skin like that of a doll, colored vividly by her bright red blush. It matched so beautifully with her ruby red eyes and silky white hair. Ah, if only I were a man, I would ask her to marry me… Katarina mused to herself. However, her thoughts were soon replaced with ones of worry. 

“Sophia are you alright? Your face is very flushed, could it be a fever?” Katarina drew closer to her friend, which only served to make Sophia more flustered. Despite her friend repeatedly insisting that she was perfectly fine, Katarina could not help but worry about Sophia. 

“A-Anyway Katarina-sama, I asked you here for tea today because I wanted to talk to you about this book.” Sophia quickly tried to change the subject by holding up a well-worn copy of _The Emerald Princess and Sophia_. “Even though it was the book that brought us together, we never got a chance to talk very much about it.” 

“Come and sit down next to me, Katarina-sama. We can share my copy.” Sophia patted the spot on the couch next to her. After Katarina sat down next to her, Sophia opened the book to a dog-eared page. Now that she took a closer look, Katarina noticed that the book had many bookmarks sticking out of it and many dog-eared pages. What was more, there were even notes scribbled in the margins. Her friend must really, truly, love this book. Katarina’s thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of something heavy on her shoulder. She looked over to realize that Sophia had rested her head on her shoulder. 

“Um, Sophia…? It’s a little hard to read with you leaning against me.” Katarina spoke gently. 

Sophia quickly sat upright, embarrassed. 

“Katarina-sama, what do you think of the characters Sophia and the Emerald Princess?” 

“I love them! I love the way the book shows their friendship!” Katarina smiled brightly. When Sophia kept looking at her as if she expected her to say something more, she continued. “They care very deeply about each other, I thought that was really neat...” 

“Katarina-sama, you’re right about Sophia and the Emerald Princess caring very deeply for each other, but I think their relationship is more than just... erm, friendship.” 

Katarina looked at Sophia, confused. Sophia pushed onward. 

“Look here, Katarina-sama.” Sophia pointed to a line in the opened book. “The Emerald Princess tells Sophia ‘You are the most important person to me in the world.’” 

“And in this paragraph,” Sophia flipped to another book-marked page. “The Emerald Princess vows to never marry, telling Sophia that she has no need for marriage because she already has her.” 

“And what’s more, Katarina-sama,” Sophia gushed excitedly, “Sophia asks the Princess if she can stay with her forever. The way she phrases her promises makes it sound like marriage vows. In sickness and in health, til death do us part, that kind of thing.” 

“Wow Sophia, I’ve never really thought of it like that before. But now that I think about it, your argument for the two being a couple makes a lot of sense. I wonder if the author did that on purpose... Oh, and would it also apply to the climactic scene where Sophia confronts her wicked stepmother?”

“That’s right Katarina-sama!” Sophia’s eyes glimmered with excitement. “In the scene where Sophia confronts her wicked stepmother, the Emerald Princess is the one who swoops in and saves her. In most romance novels, it would be a man who saves the damsel in distress, but in this book, Sophia saves her. I think the author wrote their relationship that way because it was less acceptable at the time for two women to openly love one another. I even asked our literature teacher about it, and she told me that most literary analysts view it as a classic love story!” 

“Wow that’s really impressive!” Katarina flashed another brilliant smile. “Thank you for showing me!” 

“Oh that’s right Sophia, I wanted to thank you for calling out to me when I was asleep due to the dark magic. You really saved me.” 

“But Katarina-sama, everyone there was calling out to you?” Sophia responded with confusion. 

“I think you’re right, but it seemed like you were the one to finally wake me up, Sophia.” 

Many memories came rushing back to Sophia regarding the events surrounding that day. When she had reached out to Katarina-sama lying on the bed, Sophia had had a deluge of images flood her head. At the time, she had no idea what they meant, but because she had been curious, she later tried to reflect on the things that she saw. The visions had been truly curious, for they had felt as if they were her own memories; but at the same time, they felt like they could not have been her own memories. From these memories, Sophia had seen visions of what could only be described as another world. Everything, from the clothes and customs to the magic and technologies therein had been wholly different from the ones in this world. It almost seemed like these memories had come right out of one of Sophia’s books of fiction, but for some reason she felt very strongly that these memories were real, and not fictional. She also felt that the person these memories belonged to, had held someone very dear to her. Another girl, similar in age, with short and sloppy dark hair. The two were very close, felt like they had always been together, and always had each other’s backs. There were many things that the two had talked about that Sophia did not understand, such as things called anny-may and mang-guh. However, what she did understand was that there were many precious memories of the two girls bonding over stories, much like the way she and Katarina-sama had spent many hours talking about and bonding over the wonderful stories in the books they both read. What was more, after reflecting on the memories for a while, Sophia had come to the conclusion that the friend she saw in those memories was none other than Katarina-sama herself. Although she looked quite different from the Katarina-sama that Sophia knew, she was unmistakably the exact same person. From her personality to her hobbies and obsessions, and even her speech mannerisms, it had to be Katarina-sama. Perhaps then, Sophia reasoned, the person who had those memories and experiences with the other Katarina-sama was actually Sophia, in much the same way that that other girl had to be Katarina-sama. Sophia was happy that she had found new memories with Katarina-sama, and felt that perhaps they had grown a little closer. Although all these thoughts came to her mind in nearly an instant, Sophia focused on one singular thing: that she was, no, that she wanted to become closer to Katarina-sama. 

“Katarina-sama, I wish to become closer to you, like in that other world…” Sophia murmured softly, unaware that she was voicing her thoughts out loud. 

Spurred by Sophia’s words, Katarina herself suddenly remembered the dream she had had before waking up that day. She had suddenly returned to her old life in Japan, but was saved by her childhood friend, Acchan. Acchan had saved her many times in the past, and she saved her again one final time by helping her remember and return to her friends. What a surprise that at the end, right before Katarina woke up, she discovered that Acchan had turned out to be Sophia all along. 

“Acchan…?” Katarina whispered quietly, as if she were afraid that she would wake up from this dream if she disturbed it too much. 

Sophia’s eyes widened in surprise on hearing that name, before slowly tearing up. She recognized that name, it was what Katarina-sama had called her in those strange memories, as if it had been her own name. Did Katarina-sama share those same memories? Those same feelings? Sophia started to feel a little overwhelmed by her emotions, overjoyed at the possibility of the shared experiences, yet anxious at the possibility of her feelings being unrequited. 

“Katarina-sama, do you know something of these memories? Were we perhaps friends even before we met for the first time at the princes’ tea party?” Katarina noticed that Sophia’s voice wavered as she spoke, as if she were trying to remain composed. 

Katarina pulled her friend into a hug. She held Sophia and rubbed her back in an effort to comfort her, as she looked like she was on the verge of tears. Then, Katarina held her friend at arms-length so that she was looking directly into her eyes. 

“Yes Sophia, we were friends in a past life. You helped save me when I was affected by that sleep spell. Thank you for being my friend, in our past lives, and in this life.” Katarina smiled gently, comfortingly at Sophia. 

Sophia’s eyes welled up at her friend’s words, overcome with the same emotions as that day. 

“Katarina-sama, you are so very important to me. You told me I was beautiful and asked to be my friend. Being with you did more than just open up my world, you opened up my heart too. I feel like I can be myself when I am with you, and I am always happiest when I am with you. Your smile and enthusiasm are infectious, Katarina-sama, and you are beautiful both inside and out. I was so terrified to lose you back then, I couldn’t bear the thought. I want to be with you forever.” Sophia stared up at Katarina her eyes wide and teary. “I do not know if these are the same feelings your friend held for you before, but I know that they are the feelings I hold for you now. I love you, Katarina-sama, from the bottom of my heart.” 

“Aww that’s so sweet Sophia!” Katarina smiled at her friend. “I’m really glad to have good friends like you by my side! I love being friends with you, especially since it’s a lot of fun to discuss the books we like. I’m sure Acchan had a great time being friends with me too; I know I had a great time being friends with her.” 

Sophia pouted. She wasn’t surprised that she didn’t get through to Katarina-sama, but she did wish she could. A little frustrated, she gently bopped the top of Katarina’s head with the book she was holding. All this elicited was a look of confusion from Katarina. Sophia sighed and took a deep breath before trying again. 

“No, Katarina-sama, I mean that I love you. The same way that the Emerald Princess and Sophia love each other in this book.” 

“Wait, Sophia, you mean me? Really? Me?” Katarina could only stare at her, flabbergasted. 

“Katarina-sama it’s embarrassing when you make me have to spell it out for you like this.” Sophia briefly looked away, blushing. “Yes, Katarina-sama. I love you.” 

“Sophia sure is cute isn’t she. Why if I were a man, I’d marry her…” Katarina thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by the esteemed chairwoman Katarina Claes. 

“Maybe she wants to get married to you anyway. Didn’t she just confess?” chairwoman Claes interjected. 

“Are you sure that’s the case? Is a girl on girl romance even that common in this world?” The timid looking Katarina piped up. 

“Well, there was the novel we talked with Sophia about just earlier, but there isn’t enough other evidence to say.” The serious looking, glasses wearing Katarina responded. The other Katarinas fell silent, trying to remember other instances in this world, either fictional or real. 

“Wait, did Acchan like me like that?” Katarina suddenly wondered aloud, as if the thought had only just hit her. The four other Katarinas blushed and looked away, frazzled by the idea. 

“Even if she did, we definitely never noticed. We were too busy thinking about anime and manga.” The confident Katarina said confidently. The others looked around sheepishly before everyone nodded in agreement. 

“This council hereby issues a formal apology to Acchan for our obliviousness.” Chairwoman Claes declared as she banged her gavel. “Wait a minute Katarinas, we’re getting off topic!” 

“That’s right, we need to figure out what Sophia means. And how do we feel about her?” Glasses Katarina attempted to steer the conversation in a productive direction. 

Meanwhile, Sophia grew increasingly vexed that Katarina had grown silent. Although Katarina was definitely still awake, she had a distant look in her eyes, as if she had gone off into her own little world. Sophia sighed, got up from her seat, and moved to stand in front of her. 

Katarina’s thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of something warm gently lifting up her chin. 

“Katarina-sama, this is how I feel about you.” 

Katarina barely had time to register the words before she felt something soft against her lips. She snapped back to reality, realizing that Sophia had lifted her chin up and leaned in to kiss her. Although her eyes widened in shock, Katarina did not back away or attempt to push Sophia off of her. This definitely wasn’t something that happened between friends... probably. Sophia’s lips were incredibly soft and sweet, and she looked so incredibly beautiful. After a moment, Sophia began to pull away. Katarina, however, leaned forward, seeking Sophia’s presence once more. Although she was still somewhat perplexed, Katarina felt the need to try to confirm her own feelings. And besides, when would she ever get another chance like this to kiss a girl so pretty? Or even anyone so pretty, for that matter? As the two kissed, Katarina felt an exhilarating feeling pass through her entire body like a jolt of electricity. She could feel her face flush and her heart beat faster as her thoughts raced during their kiss. 

After sitting in an embarrassed silence for what felt like an eternity, Katarina finally noticed that it had gotten rather late, and so, citing that her maid and brother would be furious with her for staying out too long, excused herself from the room. Katarina raced back to her own room and leaned against her door as she closed it. She slumped, sliding down until she sat on the ground. The sound of her increasingly concerned maid calling her name echoed around the room but did not reach her. Katarina held her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks grow hotter and hotter as she blushed deeper and deeper. Had she always wanted to hold Sophia this much? Had Sophia always been so beautiful and alluring?

As the door to her room closed gently, Sophia slowly laid her head down on the couch, on the spot where her beloved Katarina-sama had been sitting earlier. Her face still as flushed as before, she felt tears slowly begin to well up at the corners of her eyes. A whisper of longing, of which she was barely aware, escaped from her lips. 

“Katarina-sama..."

**Author's Note:**

> I think I got too excited about Next Life as a Villainess and suddenly got the itch to write. Well, it's definitely a great series for what-ifs. 
> 
> It's interesting how the book The Emerald Princess and Sophia is mentioned in the context of romance novels, and describes the two girls as being "good friends" so I wanted to explore that a bit more, but well, it still ended up being a little vague. Sophia and Katarina's shared love of books and Sophia's connection to Katarina's friend from her past life Acchan were interesting too, so I wanted to try exploring those concepts a bit more. If you've ever read any of my other works you know it's all very self indulgent, so of course I didn't feel like including anything troublesome like any prior engagements. 
> 
> I realize that Katarina isn't a duchess, as her mother would be a duchess. She is only a lady. But I figured the title would sound better with Duchess instead of Lady. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you very much for reading.


End file.
